Adjustable belt



S. HY MAN v ADJUSTABLE BELT Feb. 28, 1950 Filed Deo. 26. 1946 INVENTOR. SIDNEY HYMAM Patented Feb. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE BELT Sidney Hyman, New York, N. Y.

Application December 26, 1946, Serial No. 718,311

1 Claim.

1 This invention relates to belts, and provides improvements in extensible belts, and particularly, in such belts as are used in womens Wear. The invention may have other utilities, but as Referring now in detail to the drawings, and rst to Figs. 1-7, the extensible belt shown comprises two elongate flexible substantially flat members II and l2, of leather, plastic, cloth or now appraised, it is of maximum value when any suitable material; these two members being embodied in an extensible belt for feminine Wear and of the decorative type.

An object of the invention is to provide a belt, the length of which may be adjusted to any one of a number of different belt sizes over a large range of sizes, more easily, quickly and conveniently than heretofore.

A further object is to provide a simple and inexpensive means of an improved type for permitting such adjustments.

Still a further object is to conceal all the parts functioning as above.

Another object is to provide a belt having all the advantages stated, and yet one which, whether expensively decorated so as to be sold as a de luxe and hence costly article of apparel, or more simply made so as to present an appearance of quiet and simple elegance but nevertheless saleable at very moderate prices, may be fabricated with ordinary leather Working tools, and yet be very durable in use.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the Various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is a perspective front view of a belt pursuant to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional View, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View on a somewhat enlarged scale, showing a hook i'ltment.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional View taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a View similar to Fig 6, but taken on the line 'l-'I of Fig l.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail View in perspeci tive, showing a modication.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary detail view in elevation, showing another modification.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged horizontal sectional View taken on the line iB I l) of Fig. 9.

Fig. l1 is a view similar to Fig. 8, showing still a further modification.

adapted to be detachably connected together at two places, each to another portion of the other. As thus fastened together, the belt as a Whole has an interior surface I4 and an exterior surface I5.

The members I I and I2 at their rear ends, that is, at their ends remote from their portions Where overlapped and joined at the front of the belt, have attached thereto loops I6 and Il, respecytively. The loop on each member encompasses or encircles the other member.

Thus loop I6 of member lI extends over the exterior surface of the belt, the arrangement being such that the member l2 is free to slide relative to this loop; and loop il extends over the interior surface of member I I, with here the arrangement such that said member I I may be slid relative to the loop I'I.

Attached to and in prolongation of the rear end of member II is a longitudinally stretchable hook-mounting strip I3, and this strip carries a hook tment I9. The strip I8 is attached, as by one or more staples 20, to the rear end of member II, with such attachment adjacent so as to be hooded over at the interior of the belt by the loop I6. The staple means 20 serves to seize and anchorthe two ends of a unitary loop re-v sulting from the self-aligningly folding over on itself of a strip of one-way elastic material, so -that the bight of such loop is received in a transverse slot Illa of the hook iitment I9. Said strip of material is conveniently a well known one-way stretchable type of tape, sometimes also referred to as garter tape.

The loop I 6 is separately stapled, as at 2|, to the member I2.

The loop Il is shown best in Fig. 6, as attached to .its member by its decorative side-marginal stitching II; in which view said stitching I'I, to

" lsimplify the drawing is illustrated along only such as shown at 22. Matchingly-decorative stitchings 22P- are shown as applied to section I I.

Said inner ply I2a of member I2 is provided with a plurality of eyelets 23, 24, 25, 26 and 21 spaced at intervals longitudinally of the member I2. Desirably this spacing is such that each eyelet may appropriately be marked with a numeral representing a belt size. Thus, for instance, with hook fitment I9 engaged in eyelet 24 as shown, the belt will be a size 28, such as indicated by a marking (not shown) adjacent eyelet 24.

According to this arrangement, the hook fitment I9 and its associated parts, and also the eyelets 23-21, are all concealed when the belt is Worn, being disposed completely interiorly thereof. As clearly seen from Fig. 2, the exposed rear surface of the belt is interrupted merely by the loops I6 and Il', which appear to be decorative only.

Where the front portions of the members II and l2 are to be overlapped and joined at the front of the belt, as the only step required to fix the belt in donned position, they are couplable instantly by a fastening means which, according to the invention as here illustrated, comprises a pair of snap fasteners, the post members 28 of which are outwardly upstanding from' the exterior surface of member Il and, the socket members 29 of which have their mouths facing inwardly of the belt from the interior surface of member I2.

In the case of the present invention, also, the apparently merely decorative loop I1 has a utilitarian function; this to mount a quickly eilicacious means for finally instantaneously adjusting all parts of the belt, in regard to the belt size selected and efectuated by engaging the hook tment I9 with the selected one of the eyelets 23-2'1, so that when the belt is placed on a waist of the appropriate size, the cooperant snap fastener members 23, 28 and 29, 29 are naturally thrown into alignment.

Thus, in finally donning the belt, when the front portions of the members II and I2 have been overlapped, relatively slight inward pressure applied against the exterior surface of the front end of member I2 brings both snap fasteners to fastened condition. Thev operative feature now being referred to is a linger tab 3D secured to the innermost of the two inner stretches of loop il, as by a staple or staples 3|, and so hidden from view while the belt is being worn.

The tab Et, which may be provided with an eyelet 3i to facilitate secure finger and thumb clasp, projects around the belt in the direction opposite to that of the projection of hook tment I9. As soon as the hook iitment is engaged with a selected eyelet 23, 24, '25, 26 or 2l, a simple quick manual pull on tab 3l) draws both members II and l2 taut and so flat against each other thus to remove bellying of either member Il or I2 relative'to the other between loops I6 and I1.

The front of the belt may carry any decorative additions desired, for instance, a buckle (not shown), idle as such. In the present case, the front of the belt is shown as decoratively carrying` a plurality of uniformly spaced solely decorative loops 32, with intervening metallic additions 33 suitably applied, as by bending over the free ends of their rearwardly projecting pr'ongs 33a sent through the member l2.

. Staples 34 may be used as shown in Fig.,7 to establish the loops 32 and anchor them tomembel' I2.

In the vmodification illustratedl in Fig..8, a

Cil

V-converging pair of elastic tape'elements 35, 35 are each stitched at one end and as at 36, 36, to the rear end of the member l I; these ends of said tape elements being spaced across the width of the belt. At their opposite ends, said tapes 35 converge for suitable securement to the desired form of hook member or its equivalent. The hook tment 3l here shown is like the fltment I9, except that the slot I9a is omitted, and, instead, two side extensions v38 are provided each with upstanding edge serrations 39, so that these latter may be folded over through 180 and clenched against the last mentioned ends of the tapes 35; with the consequence that, said serrations biting into the material of the tapes, the latter are given secure connection to the hook itment.

In the further modification illustrated in Figs. 9 and l0, there is shown a hookingly functioning ftment @Il as an equivalent of the kind above referred. Fitment lo is suitably attached to the belt in accordance with the invention, as, for instance, through the medium of an elastic tape 4I similar to the element I; which fltment carries a keyhole-shaped opening 152 for coaction with a selected one of a plurality of studs i3 spacedly carried by the belt in substitution for the eyelets .Z3-'21.

Still another modification' of engageable and engaging elements for setting the belt to a desired siZe is shown in Fig. ,11, where the hook engaging tment is carried by one belt member and a line of spaced hook-like iitments are carried by the other belt member. Here the member I I has stitched thereto an elastic-tape mount 4t for a ring 45, while on the inner ply I2a of member I2 are fastened a plurality of hook ntments, of the kind long used in the shoe making art in connection with laced shoes, one of which is seen at 46. f

It is to be understood that the hook-mounting strip I8, 35 and il! may be made of any suitable stretchable material such as; rubber, fabric, metal elastic spring, etc. and that this elastic attachment allows for complete freedom of movement of the wearer and will provide complete comfort at all times. It also acts as an automatic tension release and eliminates pressure on the belt which prolongs the life of the belt.

This arrangement will permit the dealer to avoid the need of maintaining a stock of different size belts.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modications coming within the scope of the invention as dened in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Unite States Letters Patent, is:

An extensible belt comprising a pair of elongated members, a loop carried one by each of said members and each of said loops laterally encircling the other member, cooperative means carried by adjacent ends of said members whereby said end portions may be coupled to secure the belt on the waist of a wearer, means for preparatorily modifying the length of the belt to conform with a selected waist size, the last named means including a plurality of engageable elements at spaced points along the interior surface of one of said flexibley members and a cooperative engaging element carried by the other of said members by an intermediate yeldable strap, and said engaging element adapted to engage any selected one of said engageable elements for the purpose described.

SIDNEY HYMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Leck Feb. 10, 1891 Gelston May 18, 1897 Mackenzie May 9, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain of 1913 

